Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. The proud hold me in utter contempt, but I do not turn away from your instructions. I meditate on your age-old regulations; O Lord, they comfort me. I become furious with the wicked, because they reject your instructions. Your decrees have been the theme of my songs wherever I have lived. I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions. This is how I spend my life: obeying your commandments.
"Tarshish sent merchants to buy your wares in exchange for silver, iron, tin, and lead. Merchants from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and articles of bronze to trade with you.
"From Beth-togarmah came riding horses, chariot horses, and mules, all in exchange for your goods. Merchants came to you from Dedan. Numerous coastlands were your captive markets; they brought payment in ivory tusks and ebony wood.
"Syria sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies. Judah and Israel traded for your wares, offering wheat from Minnith, figs, honey, olive oil, and balm.
"Damascus sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods, bringing wine from Helbon and white wool from Zahar. Greeks from Uzal came to trade for your merchandise. Wrought iron, cassia, and fragrant calamus were bartered for your wares.
"Dedan sent merchants to trade their expensive saddle blankets with you. The Arabians and the princes of Kedar sent merchants to trade lambs and rams and male goats in exchange for your goods. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah came with all kinds of spices, jewels, and gold in exchange for your wares.
"Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad came with their merchandise, too. They brought choice fabrics to trade - blue cloth, embroidery, and multicolored carpets rolled up and bound with cords. The ships of Tarshish were your ocean caravans. Your island warehouse was filled to the brim!
"But look! Your oarsmen have taken you into stormy seas! A mighty eastern gale has wrecked you in the heart of the sea! Everything is lost - your riches and wares, your sailors and pilots, your ship builders, merchants, and warriors. On the day of your ruin, everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea. Your cities by the sea tremble as your pilots cry out in terror. All the oarsmen abandon their ships; the sailors and pilots stand on the shore. They cry aloud over you and weep bitterly. They throw dust on their heads and roll in ashes. They shave their heads in grief for you and dress themselves in burlap. They weep for you with bitter anguish and deep mourning. As they wail and mourn over you, they sing this sad funeral song: 'Was there ever such a city as Tyre, now silent at the bottom of the sea? The merchandise you traded satisfied the desires of many nations. Kings at the ends of the earth were enriched by your trade. Now you are a wrecked ship, broken at the bottom of the sea. All your merchandise and crew have gone down with you. All who live along the coastlands are appalled at your terrible fate. Their kings are filled with horror and look on with twisted faces. The merchants among the nations shake their heads at the sight of you, for you have come to a horrible end and will exist no more.'"
Then this message came to me from the Lord: "Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign Lord:
"In your great pride you claim, 'I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.' But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are a god. You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel and think no secret is hidden from you. With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth - gold and silver for your treasuries. Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud.
"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are as wise as a god, I will now bring against you a foreign army, the terror of the nations. They will draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom and defile your splendor! They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die in the heart of the sea, pierced with many wounds. Will you then boast, 'I am a god!' to those who kill you? To them you will be no god but merely a man! You will die like an outcast at the hands of foreigners. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.